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Bucs' Morris Can Learn A Lot From His Buddy In Pittsburgh

Associated Press, Tribune photos

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and Bucs coach Raheem Morris talk every Monday.

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 2, 2009

TAMPA - Watching Mike Tomlin now, it almost seems funny to remember how many eyebrows were raised two years ago when Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney made him the surprise choice as the team's new head coach.

He is just the third Steelers coach since 1969, so while this job isn't a lifetime appointment it's about the closest thing to it you can find in the National Football League.

There were no doubt many of the same concerns about Tomlin then as there are now about his close friend, Raheem Morris. Was he ready? Tomlin had only one season as a defensive coordinator (with Minnesota) after spending five seasons as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive backfield coach.

But there was something about Tomlin that spoke louder than a résumé, just as there seems to be about Morris, the defensive assistant who was recently promoted to be the Bucs' head coach.

Rooney's instinct on Tomlin was obviously correct – he stands as the youngest person to coach a Super Bowl champion following Sunday night's exhilarating 27-23 victory over Arizona. At age 36, with the core of his team intact, it's not hard to see Tomlin standing on more platforms like the one he did late Sunday.

It's not fair to place those same expectations on Morris yet because the situations are different. The Bucs have serious roster issues that need to be addressed and there is no one on the roster like quarterback Ben Roethlisberger; nor do the Bucs possess a defense like the one in Pittsburgh.

As the Bucs begin to rebuild after December's collapse that cost the team a playoff spot and Jon Gruden his job as head coach, they are banking on a man with the same strengths and leadership skills as the one Rooney hired in Pittsburgh.

Keep In Touch

Tomlin and Morris have a Monday ritual – they talk on the phone, bust each other's chops, catch up on each other's lives. If Tomlin felt the Bucs' secondary gave up too many yards, he was all over Morris.

If Morris saw cracks in the Steel Curtain, he was giving it right back to his friend.

As the most visible figures in their organizations, the buck stops with both of them.

Tomlin has made it abundantly clear during the buildup to the Super Bowl that he believes Morris is ready for the challenge he faces. Considering the source of that compliment, that's high praise and should give great comfort to Bucs' fans as the franchise moves forward.

Ultimately, though, it's about players.

"Just have good players. That is the big thing," Rooney said. "Players are the ones that do it for you. The players are it. You can't win without the players. Remember that."

Tomlin has them.

Morris needs them.

Once he gets them, Morris can learn a few things from how his buddy shaped the Steelers into champions.

"We talk about moments," Tomlin said. "We talk about how games are decided in situational football. And we back up that talk with actions in terms of how we build our team, how we prepare.

"We probably practice two-minute, red-zone, goal-line, short-yardage [situations] more than a lot of teams. When you watch highlight shows, that's the football game. It's not the first-and-10 plays or the second-and-5 plays, unless they go 75 yards and hit their head on the goalposts. We embrace those moments; we believe we were built for those moments, and the guys proved it with their play."

That's how you shake off a shot like the one Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald combined to give the Steelers with 2:35 to play: a 64-yard touchdown pass that put Arizona ahead 23-20. Tomlin said he was already focused on what his team needed to do to come back by the time Fitzgerald crossed the goal line. It showed.

There was no panic; there was only execution.

There was the residue of preparation.

Follow The Plan

We don't yet know how Raheem Morris will react in such a situation, and certainly no one expects the Bucs to be in the Super Bowl next year. He and new General Manager Mark Dominik have much work to do to get those players Rooney alluded to before we can even think about such things.

We do know, though, that Morris couldn't have picked a better friend and model.

Tomlin stands where his mentor, Tony Dungy, stood two years ago. He stands where Gruden stood that night in San Diego. He is astride the football world, but he got that way through focus, determination and following a plan. He has the staff in place to execute that plan, and he has the players who can make it happen when the game takes a bad turn and threatens to fall apart.

"That's been our story all year," Tomlin said. "We've got a team that doesn't blink in the face of adversity. It's never going to be pretty or perfect, if you will, but they've got a great deal of belief in one another. They've got a great deal of resolve, and it was put on display."

You can say the same thing about the Steelers' coach.

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